High Voltage Talks Controls, Conduit Sales, And More!

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Developer feels as if they only started scratching the surface.

By Jim Reilly

This week saw the release of The Conduit, a first-person alien shooter for the Nintendo Wii. If you haven't already check out the review. IGN got a chance for a quick chat with Eric Nofsinger, Chief Creative Officer of Illinois-based game developer High Voltage Software. Nofsinger talks sales expectations, why they didn't opt for an on-rails shooter, and the studio's excitement for Microsoft's and Sony's upcoming motion controllers.

IGN: Now that the game is coming out, does the studio feel pressure to continue to make games that heavily use motion controls? Do you want to be known as the studio that "makes Wii FPS" games?

Eric Nofsinger: Not implicitly, but we do feel the pressure to continue to make great games. One of the great things about High Voltage is the passion. The teams here are some of most dedicated people that I have ever worked with and I am continually impressed by how much quality work they deliver. This passion is what drives our studio and recently we have only seen it increase. More than anything, we want to be known as the studio that makes fun games that push the perceived limits. Although we have accomplished a lot over the past 16 years, it really feels like we just graduated and now it is time to apply what we've learned and prove we are great developer. We are only just getting started. We have so much more we want to do.

IGN: What are your sales expectations for the title? Anything specific in mind? I know you've made recent comments regarding sales suggesting the Conduit won't sell poorly because it's accessible to both hardcore and casual players.

Eric Nofsinger: We want people to play the game because we think that anyone who does is going to enjoy the experience. As to sales estimates, we humbly hope it outsells every game ever made. [laughs] Seriously, we sincerely hope we have earned Wii owner's support in our efforts. The more support we receive, the more we will funnel those profits into even better original games for them.

IGN: How much did the team learn about making the Conduit and do you feel that it will make future Wii FPS games easier to make? I'm interested to know mostly about the control aspect and further implementing them.

Eric Nofsinger: We learned a lot. Reflecting on our current control system, it is easy to see why we decided to develop one of our next original intellectual properties, The Grinder. While we are happy with the controls from The Conduit, we are rarely satisfied. This desire to improve has already led us into exploring some very interesting control features that will doubtless be included in any future game we develop. Solid presets, accessible real-time customization, and loads of options are few things that are important to us. And we believe, if given the choice, most gamers like that as well.

IGN: We've seen a lot of mature franchises developed on the Wii that are turned into "rail-shooters," such as Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and Dead Space Extraction. The Conduit is proof a real, first-person shooter can be done on the Wii if enough time is put into it (as are some other titles). What are your thoughts on developers making those types of games? Are they not giving the Wii enough credit?

Eric Nofsinger: We cannot presume to know the reasons why those developers chose to develop an on-rails experience, but an on-rails experience does limit the game scope and thereby allows the developers to only focus on what is onscreen at any given moment. This is not inherently a "bad" way to develop a game per se; it's just a different way. For us though, we wanted to create the best first-person gaming experience on the platform and we felt that the only way to do it was to allow gamers to control their movement. Having said that, we do earnestly believe that the Wii is capable of far more than gamers have played to date. We hope that all changes soon. [smiles]

IGN: What are your thoughts on Microsoft's Project Natal and Sony's Motion Control? Do you have development ideas for either of those two? Which of the three (including the Wii) do you prefer or think is the best currently? Would the studio like to develop for either the Natal or Sony's Controller eventually?

Eric Nofsinger: We are excited to see Microsoft and Sony moving in this direction. Both technologies are interesting enough to have already spawned some heated debates on how best to utilize them. The crew here does not yet have a favorite, but we are definitely curious about the possibilities the hardware peripherals afford. We believe our Wii experience might give us a competitive advantage. Overall it is exciting to see hardware manufactures trying new things. I think that's good for everyone; gamers and developers.